Vitamin K and Diabetes
Vitamin K Effects on Blood Sugar
There are two main forms of vitamin K: phylloquinone, also known as phytonadione, (vitamin K1) and menaquinones (vitamins K2). K1 is found in green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli and spinach, and makes up about 90 per cent of the vitamin K in a typical Western diet; while K2, which makes up about 10 per cent of Western vitamin K consumption and can be synthesised in the gut by microflora.
Tufts University, report their top 10 Vitamin K food sources:1. Kale 2. Collards 3. Spinach 4. Turnips greens 5. Beets greens 6. Dandelion Greens 7. Mustard Greens 8. Brussels sprouts 9. Broccoli 10. Spring Onions
Important Research and opinions on Vitiamin K and diabetes.
Supplements of vitamin K1 may reduce the development of insulin resistance in older men, and thereby offer protection against diabetes, suggests a new study.
Insulin resistance, whereby insufficient insulin is released to produce a normal glucose response from fat, muscle and liver cells, was significantly lower in men following a daily vitamin K1 supplement, according to results of a 36-month, randomised, double-blind, controlled trial.
No effects were observed in women, report the researchers, led by Sarah Booth from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University, in this month’s issue of Diabetes Care.
The results of the study were very clear. "Men who received vitamin K supplementation had less progression in their insulin resistance by the end of the clinical trial. Conversely, we saw progression in insulin resistance in women who received vitamin K supplementation, and in the men or women who were not given vitamin K supplements," says study author Dr. Sarah Booth.
The authors speculated that weight might be influencing the effects of vitamin K in men and women. "In our study, there was a higher prevalence of obese or overweight women in the vitamin K supplementation group compared to the male supplementation group," said Booth. "Vitamin K is stored in fat tissue. If there is excess fat, vitamin K may not be readily available to cells that require it to process glucose."
Read more at: http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Vitamin-K-may-have-anti-diabetes-benefits-Study
Tufts Study
Researchers at Tufts University were investigating the effect that Vitamin K supplements have on the bone mineral density and vascular calcification of a group of 355 non-diabetic men and women aged 60 to 80.
However, during the course of their 3 year study, they found that the participants who received the Vitamin K supplement had a noticeable improvement in their insulin resistance. Read more at: http://healthhabits.wordpress.com/2008/11/27/obesity-diabetes-insulin-resistance-and-vitamin-k/
Promising potential for treating diabetes
Your pancreas is responsible for regulating your blood sugar levels, and normally has one of the highest concentrations of vitamin K in your body - this is why vitamin K plays such an important role in this process.
Japanese researchers have found that a deficiency of vitamin K has clinical effects similar to those of diabetes - high blood sugar, low insulin and problems with sugar molecules entering your cells where they are needed for increased energy production. This has prompted intense research into the use of vitamin K for treating diabetes - however, more proof is needed before standard recommendations can be made.
Read more at: http://www.thehealthierlife.co.uk/natural-remedies/vitamins/increase-vitamin-k-intake-00399.html
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